On 9 October 2004 the US Senate passed the “Justice for All Act of 2004”, an anti-crime bill that includes the “Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act” and crime victims’ rights legislation. The legislation will provide the much-needed money to test more than 300,000 rape kits and other crime scene evidence that comprise a nationwide backlog. This bill will enact the Debbie Smith Backlog Grant Program, which provides $755 million in order to test the backlog, and will hopefully assist victims obtain the justice they have been waiting for. This Grant program is named for a rape survivor who waited six years for the evidence in her rape kit to be tested. The legislation also provides funding for victims’ services and assistance to families of murder victims, among other things. The bill will be sent to the House of Representatives for final approval, and will then await approval from the President.

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